The Pouilly-Fumé vineyards date back to Gallo-Roman times, along with the remains of the Roman road that passed through this village. From the 12th century onwards, the Augustin and Benedictine monks spearheaded the development of the vineyards. They increased vine cultivation to fuel the production of communion wine. In 1642, the opening of the Briare canal provided new stimulus to the wines of Pouilly Fumé. The waterborne routes gave access to Fontainebleau, Versailles, Paris, and even lands as distant as England, where the nobility and bourgeoisie were particularly partial to this beverage.

Pouilly Fumé

Pouilly-Fumé was awarded Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status in 1937. The appellation, whose name is deeply evocative, has become known throughout the world. Located on hilly slopes rising above the banks of the Loire, a smokey-looking morning mist regularly envelops the vineyards of this appellation; hence the name Pouilly-Fumé.

– The clayey-limestone soils of Villiers and Barrois are composed of sedimentary deposits and limestone pebbles of varying sizes and cover the eastern and western parts of the vineyard area.

– The Kimmeridgian marls are clayey-limestone soils containing small fossilized oyster shells. They cover most of the vineyard area.

– The flinty clays, which are found on the highest points of the appellation, bring constant quality to the wines.

Climate

The vines are planted on slightly hilly terrain, which benefits from a continental climate. Temperatures vary between 0 and 8°C in winter and between 15 and 26°C in summer. This climate, favourable to the development of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, enables the production of crisp and elegant wines.

Le sauvignon

Pouilly-Fumé is a white wine made exclusively from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The grapes mature earlier on limestone soils, producing crisp and lively wines with aromas of broom and grapefruit.
However, on marly soils, the vine is less sensitive to climatic variations. As a result, the Sauvignon grape provides white wines that can be left to age, their subtle aromas of flowers and fruits gaining added complexity.
For grapes grown on the soils composed of flint and clay, the white wines are delicate and supple with an attractive gunflint bouquet that is typical of the terroir.